HELD (BACK) Synonyms: 107 Similar and Opposite Words

held back

verb

past tense of hold back

as in hampered

to create difficulty for the work or activity of the only thing holding them back from joining the swim team is lack of transportation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stifled

to refrain from openly showing or uttering held back her tears until she was alone

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of held back Introduced by William Grant & Sons in 2024, the brand draws on malt and grain whiskies from the family's private reserves, stocks that have been held back from the blending pool for decades. —

Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 Electric aviation has always been held back by the same physics problem. —

Omar Kardoudi june 12, New Atlas, 12 June 2026 Still, Reid held back from anything definitive. —

Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026 Amodei, meanwhile, has not held back in his criticism of Flippo, who swapped races from the 4th Congressional District in Southern Nevada after the congressman’s retirement. —

Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 11 June 2026 Building work on the basilica was held back by the Spanish civil war and a lack of funds, including Gaudí going over budget and refusing to compromise on his designs. —

Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 10 June 2026 Test scores are just one data point that may be used in determining if a child should be held back, alongside classroom grades, teacher recommendations and attendance. —

Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026 Reporting teams have held back on submitting story pitches about important news topics out of fear of the internal repercussions. —

Brian Steinberg, Variety, 28 May 2026 Any momentum Porter might have had was blunted by the videos, and she’s been held back ever since. —

Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 27 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held back

Verb

Withington noted that international sanctions have hampered Moscow’s ability to access the technology needed to develop new systems capable of engaging these Ukrainian attacks.

— Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN Money, 19 June 2026
Russia’s determination to maintain a tight grip on AI development has hampered its own efforts to advance the technology.

— Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 18 June 2026